Retrograde
by Electronic Cow
Summary: A story based on female infiltrator play through of Mass Effect 3. Main focus and pairing is Vega/Cortez with hints of others, perhaps directly stated others later. Will for the most part follow the game at least from the start. Circumstances forced the new Normandy crew together and the war. . .well. . .it made the bonds.


**I'm at it again. Still working on my other stories but I just had to write this. Retrograde is based off my playthrough of Mass Effect 1-2-3 as a female Shepard, infiltrator, and how I envisioned 'my' game going. Basically; stuff I made up in my head on the side. The main focus is Steven/James (slash warning here) but I also had stuff for Shepard/Liara, Shepard/Thane, and a few others. This story will not focus heavily on my personal Shepard (seeing as they are all OC's basically), but she will feature in. Not as a focus though. So do not write it off as an OC story! As for James and Cortez. . .I'm trying to keep them in character but we'll see how that goes. Enjoy~!**

x

The Normandy.

The ship that in only a few years went from council side-project to a legend. Flag-ship of the Citadel defense. A perfect merger of Turian and Human science that later incorperated Quarian tech. A vessel that after being shot down was rebuilt and improved by Cerberus; a rogue but highly-scientific organization. The only non-Geth ship in the known universe to have incorperated the machine's technology. To work on the vessel was literally the dream of any Alliance military who liked adventure, tech, and a large deal of danger. Most of all though it was the ship that single-handedly brought down the collectors and stopped their reign of terror. That above all else should have mattered. It should have changed everything.

It still took Cortez four weeks to accept the retro-fit opportunity offered. The last fact made it difficult. There was no doubt that Cortez passionately hated the Collectors. From what little he had seen of public reports what happened to their prisoners was. . .no, he desperately wished to delete that information from his mind. No; it had nothing to do with a regret of that. Cortez would have given Shepard a metal if he thought one meant anything to the woman. Not like he would ever get to meet her. The news said she had retired from active service anyway. If only she had taken them out a little faster though. . .

But there was nothing to be said or done for that so in the end Cortez accepted.

Once he was there; Cortez never wanted to leave. Everything was new, top of the line, and the retrofit budget was tremendous. Best ship in the Alliance was the goal. . .and Steve was pretty sure they had started with it already accomplished. He still enjoyed the job though. Moving the armory from one end of the ship to the other, refurbishing the cargo hold, and upgrading the Kodiak as a side job; these tasks took up nearly all of Steve's brain power. Occasionally he would meet up with Traynor to discuss logistics or acquisition of parts. Both of them stayed busy though so such meetings did not come often. There were days where his only companion was the ship 'VI' EDI (though he and Traynor were starting to have serious questions about the efficiency of Edi in her assistance). It was enough to just immerse himself. To dig so deep into his work that other people just stopped existing. No time to think or mourn even more.

The Reaper attack on Earth changed all of that immediately. Hell; it changed everything.

* * *

"Steve, you should adjust your flight trajectory. That area will soon be a battlefield."

His "Thanks EDI." came automatically as Cortez maneuvered the Kodiak to one side sharply, curving a skyscraper and narrowly avoiding a group of Alliance fighters, out of the combat zone.

The two marines in his storage did not seem to mind the sharp turns. Cortez plucked them from the capital building only a minute into the attack. Anderson and Shepard were a priority too but no one could get in contact with them yet. Not for lack of trying - Steve could clearly hear the Lieutenant Commander (or rather Ash, as Joker had referred to her and he never would) yelling angrily into her comm device. She was looking for any update on Shepard and Anderson's location and so far none had come in. Insistent and loud, Steve could clearly hear every word she said over everything else going on around them. Not because he was listening in or anything - absolutely not. Just the pilot. Well. . .pilots did tend to eavesdrop. Keep his trap shut and carry out the orders relayed to him by Comman- Joker. The third member of their little flight crew did not seem to understand working silence.

"Calm down LT. It's Shepard we're talking about here. She got this."

The 'LT's look as she untapped her comm could have boiled someone.

"Vega, you do realize she was in the council hall right? The place that took a point blank blast."

Her answer? The dark skinned man (Vega, apparently) just shrugged. "And? Not like she hasn't been caught in an explosion before or an. . ." A pause. A well timed pause. Cortez started wincing before the man even got into it. The LT's glare was just that intense. Even Vega, who looked like he could break the woman over his knee, paused and looked sheepish for a moment. Just a moment. A second. Still not enough to shut him up, "Look; she'll be fine. I'm more worried about the Admiral. He's not exactly a spring chicken y'know. They'll radio event-" The man groaned as the LT went back to her comm, yelling louder than before, blatantly ignoring him. That just left. . .Steve. . .who unlike the LT did not have a sidearm.

Cortez jumped (only slightly mind you!) when one of the man's hand landed on his shoulder.

"Hey, what's the ETA on the Normandy? Need to get away from this. . ." He was pretty sure the last word faded off into 'Perra' there. Was this guy even in the military? He'd started to wonder.

Steve's only response, "EDI.""Your shuttle will be docking with us in two minutes Steve. Please inform the Lieutenant Commander and her escort -" At this there was a loud, "Not her escort!" from James that would have made Steve laugh were he not navigating them through a realistic depiction of Hell on Earth. EDI also ignored his outburst - the 'VI' - seemed to be a master of that, "Upon docking Joker has requested you ensure the Lieutenant Commander and. . ." A pause. A split second disruption in EDI's smooth voice before she continued. ". . .Mr. Vega are properly armed and ready for combat should the Commander need assistance. I doubt she will." The line went off suddenly before Steve, brow raised, could voice any concern.

Vega jumped right on it for him anyway, "Since when do VI 'doubt' things?"

Steve smiled, grinned really, a look completely inappropriate for the setting."Since when does VI do any of the things EDI does on a regular basis?"

"EDI?"

"Yeah. She is pretty much the Queen of the Normandy."

Vega went silent and Steve thought the conversation was over. ..until the other man sighed heavily."The ship's VI sounds like that. No wonder it performs damn miracles. Does she read bedtime stories too?"The Kodiak's mid-air docking featured its pilot snickering, totally inappropriate. EDI may have commented on that too if the VI were listening in. Had there been time. No sooner had the Kodiak touched down and its hatch opened before the Lieutenant Commander was out. Vega waited a moment to pat Steve on the back, almost knocking the man over, with a, "Good flying." before he dashed. These two did not need the quartermaster's 'help' to get armed. The pilot exited to find the lieutenant already picking up the biggest gun she could find, a grenade mount assault rifle and Vega grabbing the shotgun that Steve had written off as 'not for human hands'. Considering how the massive man slung it with one arm though, Cortez kept his mouth shut as to his doubts. He didn't speak at all actually. Both of the alliance military were busy, moving here and there, the Lieutenant relaying commands and Vega following them through sheer training.

Steve Cortez was a tech, not a marine, and so he kept to himself and let them do their jobs.

He kept to himself a lot. It tended to work out better that way.

Ten minutes. Ten painfully long minutes of listening to Ashley, as Steve heard Joker call her over the intercom, yell. Ten minutes of standing around feeling useless while Vega checked and rechecked his arms. Occasionally the sound of a particularly loud explosion pierced the ship's hull and they all heard it, overly alert, systematically preparing themselves for the worst. For an explosion to hit the ship. For damages.

Then it finally came. EDI's voice silencing all their doubts. "Commander Shephard and Admiral Anderson have been located. Joker is moving for pick-up now." The Commander was alive. She was fighting. All the tension left the air as Vega let out a, "Hell yeah, Lola ain't goin' down that easy." and Ash sighed.

Pure chaos; the only way to describe it.

It was Steve who let the hatch down so Ashley and Vega could provide covering fire after the Normandy's initial bombardment of the reaper forces. He stood by, just out of firing range, as bullets rained down.

And in doing so the man got his first up close glance of the famed Commander Shepard.

He could barely breath just watching her.

The bulk of the reaper forces, mutated humanoid creatures spawned from nightmares, had been codenamed 'Cannibals'. Large, mutant creatures equipped with heavy armaments and built in body armor across their biocybernetic frames. The dossier released across all channels stated they were 'highly dangerous' and to 'avoid close contact'. Shepard, armed with only dual pistols, apparently missed that memo. While Anderson crouched behind a wall providing cover the red headed woman seemed to vanish into the creatures, hidden by sort of stealth software, only to appear moments later blasting the head off a Cannibal before vanishing again. Every shot was lethal, missing a foreign concept, every blast of the monster's massive shotguns avoided in a controlled 'much too close' encounter. How the Lieutenant managed to provide cover fire with her assault rifle was a mystery to Steve. Vega and Anderson barely fired a shot for fear of hitting the close combat ally but Ash; she rained down a storm of lead that never once struck Shepard. Never came close. The last Cannibal actually fell with Shephard's vibro-knife in it's gut, shoved into Ash's bullet carnage.

It barely lasted a minute and Cortez nearly forgot to breath.

He had never known what it meant to acquire the esteemed 'N7' ranking till now. . .and knowing made him feel all the more awkward about the moment as Shepard and Lieutenant Williams greeted each other. As Anderson made his choice to stay behind. Steve retreated across the hanger to his armaments station and all but hid there, a silent observer in everything that followed. To his 'credit' no one seemed to notice. Shepard and Williams were in their own world apart from everyone else. Vega joined in momentarily to argue staying behind but it got him nowhere. Shepard radiated authority and experience to the point that Cortez soon found himself calibrating weapons without even thinking, listening in but doing his job to the fullest while the woman was present. When the woman finally left with Williams in tow, yelling something to Joker about Mars, Cortez finally thought he would be alone and have time to compress all his thoughts.

They had survived the invasion of Earth and were - far as he knew - on their way to the Citadel.

Vega apparently needed no such time.

"What is with that loco woman? The Citadel? We should stay right here, fighting, eh?"

It took Steve a moment to realize that Vega was speaking to him and he should look up.

". . .Huh? Uh, yeah, I agree that we could be of help here, but maybe the Commander's right and. . ."

Wrong answer.

Vega threw up his hands and let out a, "Everyone's ready to jet. Got it, got it." as he stormed off.

Cortez's quiet, "Not like I want to leave anyone behind either. . ." was lost one everyone but perhaps EDI if the VI happened to be listening in at that moment. Then again; when was the VI not listening in?

* * *

Mars was hell on everyone who went down there.

Williams came back onboard wrapped up in a stretcher's blankets with half her skull dented in. Unconsious, unaware, for all the world looking like a corpse. A frantic asari, Liara as Shepard had called her before sending him away, and a damn too-controlled Commander pushed her. A few of the sparse crew joined in to help. To do what they could. Several hung back and tried off side by looking busy.

James did not help. He just stood by, his crash-dents fresh and aching, and stayed out of the way. He wasn't a doctor. The asari scientist Liara seemed like she could handle it. He'd just be in the way. . .that infuriated him above all else, the inability to help and unshakable feeling that if he had aimed that crash just a bit better maybe he could have destroyed that robot before it even touched Ash at all. If he had raised his gun just a bit faster. Something, anything, and he could have not had yet another wounded squad-mate on hand.

Only Shepard had escaped without wound somewhere in between waving a sniper rifle around like a toothpick, her freakish cloaking device that James did not even understand, and the damnable praying.

Woman prayed while she fought. To what; he didn't know. None of the names were recognizable.

The Commander was so alien to him right now that James did not even want to be near her.

He didn't want to be near anyone onboard the jacked up ship at the moment. . .so damn the voice that piped up as he slipped into what he'd claimed his little corner area of the Normandy bay. He could have hit it.

"Hey. . .need some help with that shoulder?"What? Eh? James didn't bother turning around to address his concerned follower. So his shoulder was a little messed up - no, dislocated, as he learned from the teeth gritting action of poking it. From the crash?

"So? Leave it. Get it fixed later. Med bay's kinda packed in case ya didn't notice."

The 'Go Away' range audible enough in his voice it might as well been screamed.

And was ignored, "Look, I know it probably doesn't sting right now because you're jacked up on adrenaline still, but it will. Just let me see it, okay? Not my first time patching up a marine."

People did not get hints. People in this case being the. . .pilot from before?

"What, you a doctor and pilot?"The dark skinned man did not take his eyes off James's injured shoulder, just shrugged and mumbled out a, "Quartermaster too if you must know." before reaching out to touch. . .and stopping, expectant.

Vega shrugged and leaned back against the arm's table, "Go ahead." The pilot-slash-quartermaster just nodded and went to work. A poke here, prod there, only once enough to make James actually wince at a shot of pain. The guy was right, the injury was dull right now. It wouldn't be for long. Didn't make the marine any happier for the intrusion into his 'me-time' judging by the frown he wore the entire time. The other man didn't seem to notice as he invaded Vega's space and felt all along his left shoulder.

His hand stopped near the collar, "Take off your shirt."

James couldn't help it, "Hey now, not even going to buy me dinner before getting the goods?" He almost let out a particularly unmanly yelp when the guy's hand left his collar so fast it actually hurt. Damn, "Hey, hey, it was a joke. Thought you were going to help out, not rip my arm off!"

Pilot at least looked apologetic, "Shit, sorry. Just had someone say that before and. . .look, never mind. If you want to just wait and get it looked at in med bay-" Guy was backpedaling, moving away, about to leave.

"Look, whatever. Just don't fuck my arm up and we're good. I'll try not to joke, eh?" James sighed and started to take off his shirt only to discover. . .it was a bit harder than expected. Y'know, shoulder and all.

"Hold up, I'll help."

Vega's sweat stained white shirt came off before he even registered the offer. Half felt like the guy cut it off the motion was so quick. It was still in one piece though - cast aside on the table as the black man moved back in. Good to his word the guy was impressively gentle as he inspected the shoulder, one hand on Vega's muscular arm moving it this way and that. Could have easily passed for a medic as opposed to an amateur.

"So. . .name's -"The guy cut him off, "James Vega right? Put that together from EDI." Vega had to resist the urge to crack another joke (which may have gotten his arm ripped off) about stalkers. He just nodded.

"Well Mr. Vega, I'm Cortez.""Got a first name? You know mine and all.""Oh, yeah, Steve." Steve, guy who had flown them across the hellish landscape of under-attack Earth with barely a bump. Steve the pilot, quartermaster, and possible medic at some point. Steve, the guy who currently had one hand on his wrist and the other rubbing along his left arm and shoulder. . .wait, hold up-

CRACK. Well his arm was definitely set back in place now.

"TE VOY A MATAR!"

The guy, Steve, possible sadist, actually laughed as Vega yelled in his face. "Not sure what you just said to me but I'm sorry. Would have been worse if I gave you warning right? Had to get it back in place."

James's response was to glower down at him from the few inches he had on the guy. . .or rather try to. The black man was not making eye contact, instead focusing at something on James's chest. A glance down clued the marine in to what was so interesting - the guy's left hand was still gripping his wrist but that right hand had definitelysettled in on the left side of his pecs. Not moving, just there, and in a moment that went on a little too long James and Cortez just watched that hand as if waiting for it to do something.

It never did and a second after Vega coughed uncomfortably Steve jerked back several steps.

"Sorry about that. Umm, you should get that shoulder looked at in medical after they are. . ."This time, James cut him off, "Nah, it'll be fine. . .I think. Dick way of going about it." Steve's mouth opened and James simply shrugged and ignored whatever the guy was going to say, "It's fine, it's fine, you did good. If you'd warned me I might have thrown ya or something. Look. . .thanks."

Cortez did an admirable job of not making eye contact. Guy just scratched at the collected scruff on his face and shrugged, nonchalant, uptight, odd mixture of the two. Stared at his boots and kind of slouched.

Now Vega just felt bad and he wasn't even sure what he did this time!

"We'll be at the Citadel soon right? Drinks on me." James saw the shoot-down coming before Steve opened his mouth so he held up a hand to stop the guy, "Don't even try and back out. I owe ya one and you're getting that drink. Flux as soon as I'm free. I'll have this weird-ass ship VI let ya know soon as I'm done escorting the Commander around like a trained guard dog or whatever I'm suppose to be these days."

Steve didn't say anything, just stared at Vega (above the neck, pointedly) until the marine stuck out a hand (his right one, good arm yeah?) and the pilot finally shook on it. Still didn't say anything.

Just sighed and nodded before walking off. He seemed to walk off a little faster

"Well he seems excited." Vega didn't seem to notice though.


End file.
